XN000022-1979-02-23 — Page 2

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1979

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PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY, 1979

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) PUBLISHED THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL MERCHANDISE TRADE DURING JANUARY 1979.

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FOR JANUARY WAS $3,817 MILLION, + IMPORTS, $5,358 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS, $1,299 MILLION. THE TRADE DEFICIT FOR JANUARY WAS $242 MILLION.

THE NOVEMBER 1978 TO JANUARY 1979 FIGURES (LATEST THREE MONTHS) SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, COMPARED WITH THE SAME NOVEMBER 1977 TO JANUARY 1978 PERIOD OF 27.4 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 37.4 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 43.1 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER ROSE BY 31 PER CENT.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1978, INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF $1,096 MILLION OR 40.3 PER CENT IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $1,069 MILLION OR 24.9 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $417 MILLION OR 47.2 PER CENT IN RE-EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

THE SHORT TERM CHANGES, JANUARY 1979 COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1978, SHOWED DECREASES OF $488 MILLION OR 11.3 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND $1,451 MILLION OR 21.3 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS, AND AN INCREASE OF $80 MILLION OR 6.6 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

THE FIGURES FOR THE 12-MONTH PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 1978 TO JANUARY 1979 COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE PREVIOUS 12-MONTH PERIOD SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF 19.3 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 30.4 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 37.9 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT HAS RELEASED THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY:-

MERCHANDISE:

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

IMPORTS

$3,817 MILLION

$5,358 MILLION

RE-EXPORTS

#

$1,299 MILLION

TRADE BALANCE

242 MILLION (IN DEFICIT)

"CYPARATIVE